The Coming of Change
by Greencat
Summary: Harry has a bad dream, Voldie has a new toy, Greencat wants reviews. Story Is Completed! R/R!
1. Part 1: Of Dreams and Plans & Part 2 Old...

The Coming of Change  
By Greencat  
  
A/N: This is going to be a long story. Don't ask how long because I don't know myself (I do what my muse tells me to do. ;) )   
  
Part 1: Of Plans and Dreams  
  
The woods were lit up by the light of the full moon; the light made the mist look like writhing insubstantial beasts. As he made his way along an almost non-existent path, Harry Potter thought to himself, "Where am I? How did I get here?"  
All of a sudden a unicorn leapt out from the trees ahead of him. It stared at him for a long minute; them slowly turned and walked off into the trees ahead. It seemed almost luminescent. After a score of paces it stopped and turned its head towards Harry. "It wants me to follow it." He thought. He began walking after it, for how long he didn't know; time seemed to have become something completely unrelated to the situation.  
The two entered a clearing. When they reached the middle of it the unicorn reared and dashed off into the night. Looking around for whatever had frightened it, Harry spotted a shape blacker than the night, with two glowing, blood red eyes. The scar on Harry's forehead started to burn. The shape gave out a high cruel laugh.  
"Voldemort!" he shouted.  
The shape stared at him; he could almost feel the evil radiating off of it.  
"Yes." He replied, "It is I, but I have not come here for your pitiful life.'  
"Then why have you come?" Harry asked, his voice trembling slightly.  
"To bargain. Join me Harry together we can rule the world. I can give you everything your heart desires," A mirror appeared in the air between them. In it Harry could see his parents reflections. "Even them."  
Harry stared at the mirror, unable to look away. His parents, he could have them back. In his heart he knew it was probably a trick, but he did want to see them alive again.  
"Or," said Voldemort "If you still desire more, I can give you the love of the girl of your dreams." Now it was Cho's face reflected in the mirror. Harry started to feel sleepy, bowed down by the life he now led and the little he could do to change it. This was another affect of the mirror.  
Then a snake slithered into a clearing, large and the darkest green.  
"Ah, my pet." Said Voldemort "Go round up the Death Eaters. I have a feeling there will be a new initiate tonight." He glanced at Harry, a cruel smile curving his lips.  
The snake looked at Voldemort, and raised it self up so that it was on eye level with him. Harry noticed something on the backside of the snake. "Feathers?" he thought sleepily to himself.  
Indeed there were feathers on the snake, and as he looked the feathers started to grow into wings great, golden wings. Then, with a blood-stirring cry, the snake's skin burst apart and a large, gold bird of prey flew out. It flew straight through the mirror, shattering it. Harry could think and remember for himself again. Then, the bird turned his sights on the black shape that was Voldemort. When the bird struck him, he cried out in anguish and disintegrated into mist. The bird then came to land at Harry's feet.  
Harry awoke with a start, in the room in the apartment in London where he had lived since his graduation three years ago. He stared at the wall for a moment, remembering that he was safe, he was home, and no one had seen or heard of Voldemort for years. Once he had gotten his bearing Harry tried to make sense of his dream. His scar had burned, was it burning now? No, so no imminent threat of Voldemort.   
He rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom to wash the cold sweat off his face. Could this dream mean something? He thought to himself. If so, what? He went back to his room and got dressed. Pushing his hair out of his face and habitually trying to flatten it, he wondered what to do now. He looked out the window. A fluffy blanket of fog enveloped London. Not many people could see someone on a broom in that.   
He went over to his wardrobe and took out his trusty Firebolt and his Invisibility cloak. With the broom covered by the cloak, he made his way out of the door and into the lift. Thankfully no one was in it with him. He pushed the button for the roof. After stepping out into the chill morning air he wrapped the cloak around himself, stepped onto the broom and was off into the skies towards Hogwarts.  
By noon he was into the countryside and much warmer. He checked the compass Hermione had given him for his thirteenth birthday. He turned slightly northwards.  
Slightly before suppertime he had reached the grounds. As he walked through the familiar halls, he thought back on all the memories he had here. He saw a trio of kids run down a hall off of the one he was walking on, followed shortly by a livid Filch threatening the same old threats, disembowelment, inhumane torture, the like. He grinned; they were probably the current Freds and Georges of the school.  
He went up to the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office, wondering what the password was now. "Cockroach Cluster? Every-Flavor Beans? Drooble's Best Blowing Gum? Come one, let me in! Sherbet Lemon, Acid Pop, Jelly Slug, Mars Bar-" The gargoyle jumped aside. "Hmmm, so Dumbledore likes Mars bars too." Harry said to himself grinning. He made his way up the revolving spiral staircase and knocked on Dumbledore's door.  
The professor opened it. "Harry! Thank goodness you got my owl so quickly! Come in."  
"Your owl, Professor? I must have flown by it on the way here. I came because I had another dream about Voldemort." Harry said as he made his way to the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. "Evening, Fawkes." He said nodding his head to the phoenix, who returned a note of greeting.  
"You had a dream about Voldemort? Oh, dear, it's more serious than I thought." He sat down and stared at Harry gravely. "I just received information from Professor Snape that Voldemort is readying his forces out in Albania."  
Snape had gone back to his former position as spy, and had returned to Voldemort professing great sorrow that he had turned his back on his master and begging for forgiveness. Voldemort had let him back, surprisingly, without enormous amounts of torture or questions. Harry remembered thinking to himself at the time: Wow. Voldemort must really need Snape's Potions knowledge.  
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "That's not all. Snape's heard word that Voldemort is about to come into possession of a powerful weapon, The Rod of Star and Storm."  
"Is that a Dark Art's weapon?" asked Harry.  
"No, no," replied Dumbledore, "like many other things it has potential for good or evil, depending on the bearer. Fortunately though, it must be wielded by someone young of age, so Voldemort himself cannot use it. But he will be grooming his younger Death Eaters, looking for the most loyal one. That person will use it though, with Voldemort's instruction."  
"What does it do?"  
"That's just it. It's been out of sight for so long it has almost become the stuff of myths. What I do know is, it controls mainly fire and water."  
"Then why don't they call it 'The Rod of Fire and Water'?"  
"I suspect whoever named preferred alliteration, to truthful representation. Now we come to your part in all of this, Harry. I trust you more than any other witch or wizard of your age. We cannot let Voldemort use the Rod, so-"  
"So, I need to steal it back from Voldemort." Harry said with an impending feeling of doom. How he could sneak into Voldemort's secret lair, find some powerful weapon that was probably going to be under heavy supervision, and take it from Voldemort, his arch-enemy who wanted to kill him, and do it with out getting himself killed, was beyond his comprehension.  
"Yes, but there will be precautions taken to ensure your safety, and you will have help."  
"From whom? And what will the precautions be?" he asked, still not very reassured.  
Dumbledore smiled. "From your friends, Mr. Weasly and Miss Granger. I'll explain about the precautions tomorrow once they've arrived. In the meantime, I've set up a room for you on the third floor of the West Tower. But now, let us go down to the Hall for supper.  
  
***  
  
A tall, cloaked figure sat on a throne in a darkened room. "Now, one final question remains, before I decide whether you will be the Chosen. What will you use the Rod for if I give it to you?"  
"Kill Potter, and bring honor to your Mastery by ridding the world of the Mudblood and Muggle filth." Another figure, kneeling before the throne intoned.  
"Excellent." The first figure's eyes gleamed red in the gloom.  
  
Part 2: Old Times and New  
  
Draco sat looking out the window of his cold stone room, in the castle which Voldemort was using as a gathering grounds for his followers, his "Mastery" as he liked to call it. I have no Master. Thought Draco to himself, Not even him.  
The moon was pale, nearing full, and a wolf howled in the woods to the west of the castle. How did I get myself into this? No, I didn't get myself into this, father did. He hadn't wanted to carry the rod, that just pushed him closer to being one of a Mastery. It was his father that stayed up with him at night, drilling into him, the words and phrases that Voldemort would most like to hear during his examination of the younger members, words that would bring the Rod to the person who spoke them. He learned them, because he had learned from very early on not to make his father angry with him. He even managed to say them with emotion, contrived, but convincing. Now he was the Chosen, one of Voldemort's right-hand men. Now he would have to constantly face the man he addressed as "Master." I wonder if I've ever been truly happy. He thought bitterly to himself.   
He turned from the window, and went over to the secret compartment he'd made in the walls. He took out a picture, a picture that he kept hidden because, if his father even found it, it would be ashes faster than blinking. It wasn't really that remarkable a picture, just a small girl, about three years old, with pale, silvery-blond hair, and blue eyes like sapphires. Jade...  
No one outside of family knew that he had once had a baby sister. He remember being four year's old, sitting in the waiting room at St. Mungo's with his father, going into his mother's hospital room and seeing a little bundle of blankets in her arms that gurgled and cried. They named her Jade. He remembered when she'd come home, and he would sometimes just stand by her cradle and watch her, such a tiny thing, with such a loud voice when she cried. When she cried he could always make her laugh, a little, soft, cooing laughter. She was probably the only person he ever really loved. His mother he admired, and his father he respected, but he loved Jade. He talked with her when she got older, and crawled and babbled around her room. He'd tell her about all the fun they were going to have when they got older. He told her about magic, and how they were going to go to Hogwarts together someday.  
But then, things started going wrong. His father and mother had always told him that all Malfoy's showed signs of magic by their third and a half year. Jade's came and went without even the slightest hint of magical powers. He remembered his father yelling at her, asking her if she wanted to be muggle trash, slapping her. No matter how hard Draco had put his hands over his ears, he couldn't drown out those high-pitched sobs. He would visit her, hug her, and tell her that Daddy really did love her, that was just the only way he knew to bring out magical powers. "B-but Draco, w-what if I am a m-m-muggle?" she would sniffle. "But you're not, you can't be. You'll do something tomorrow." She never did.   
One day, when she was four, she started getting sick. Draco tried to get his parents to do something, but they would only say, "She's not sick. Go to your room." Three months later Draco had seen his father carrying Jade out of her room. She was limp and her skin had a slightly bluish color. "Father what's wrong with Jade?" he had asked "The girl is fine, go to your room." Had been his father's reply. But Draco wasn't an idiot. He knew they had let her die, rather than live with the shame of having a Squib for a daughter. He had snuck into her room, and taken a picture of her and hid it in his room, since his parents would probably destroy all evidence of Jade's existence. Later that day his father had called for him in his study. The first thing Draco had said was "What's wrong with Jade? What's wrong with my sister?" "You don't have a sister. You never did. The Malfoy line has never produced a Squib and never will. Do you understand me, Draco?"  
He may have seemed like the perfect son to his father, the embodiment of all things a Malfoy should be. It was all an act. If Jade's short life had taught him anything it was to be grateful for his magic, and to do whatever necessary to survive. He always told himself that one day, one day he would be free of the clutches of the Malfoy name, and everything it stood for. He shook his head. Not likely now. Now I'll have to keep this charade up until I die.  
  
***  
  
Harry awoke to something large, but soft whacking him in the face. He gave a start and fell out of the bed he had gotten into last night.   
A freckled face with an abundance of red hair was grinning down at him. "If Mr. Potter would like some breakfast, would he please grace us with his presence in the Great Hall," said Ron mockingly.  
"Ha, ha, ha." Harry replied sarcastically "'Lo Ron. When d'you get here. What time is it?"  
"Last night, after you'd fallen asleep. And it's ten."  
"Ten? Geez, thanks for waking me up, albeit rudely."  
"Since when have I been known for my tact? C'mon, it's sausages this morning, they're exceptionally good."  
Harry got up and went into the bathroom to fix himself up. "Ish Herminee heyarh?" he mumbled through a mouthful of toothepaste.  
"Yup. She got here shortly before I did." Ron frowned. "This does not sound good to me, Harry. You-know-who is powerful enough, you've nearly gotten killed by him several times, this'll just worsen the odds against you. Dumbledore shouldn't put you in this position."  
Harry gave Ron an amused look. "You're never going to stop that You-know-who-ing are you? Dumbledore always has a reason for doing something. Maybe it's the old 'Do What They Least Expect' Plan."  
"Which is often confused for the old 'Off The Boy-Who-Lived' Plan. Maybe I'm weird but I don't like my friends getting into situations that could get them killed."  
"Ron, I was worried too. Dumbledore told me he's going to take precautions so that none of us get killed. Meanwhile, I'm starving let's get down to the Hall." Harry got up and walked out of the room Ron following behind him.  
The school looked pretty much the same as it had since they'd graduated, all of their old teachers were there, except, of course, Snape, who had left for Albania a month or so ago, Dumbledore had told Harry last evening over dinner. Harry grinned, most of the students must have been pleased about that.  
They walked into the Great Hall and saw Hermione sitting at the small table Dumbledore had set aside for them, reading a book. She looked up as they drew close.  
"Harry!" she said, setting her book down. "Thank goodness you're finally awake.  
"What are you reading?" he asked as he and Ron dropped into chairs.  
"A History of Magical and Mystical Weapons. It's all 'Swords of Doom' and 'Lances of Fire', I wish this thing had a bloody index! I can't for the life of me find anything useful about the Rod." Her eyes flicked towards the staff table "But on a more humorous note, have you two noticed who's replaced Snape?"  
They looked over at the table. There weren't too many teachers left there, most of the having left to prepare for their first class of the day. But there was one young, blonde-haired witch who was sitting at the table. She glanced over in their direction.  
"'Arry! It is you!"  
"Fleur?" Harry replied astonished.  
She got up and walked over to their table. "Oui. What, you did not know about my skill in potions?" she said grinning.  
Ron shook his head, the old dazed look starting to come into his eyes again.  
"Ah, well. I 'ave some knowledge of it, and when zat man, er Snoop was it? Anway when 'e left Dumbledore asked me to replace 'im. It is a great 'onor."  
"Where's Dumbledore?" asked Harry noticing the Headmaster was absent from the staff table."  
"'E said 'e 'ad some business to take care of. Oh, and 'e told me to tell you zat 'e will meet you tonight after dinner at zee front doors to explain more of what you talked about last night." She looked at Harry sideways. "But what I want to know is; what were you talking about?"  
"Sorry Fleur but we can't tell you that," said Hermione. "It's all very hush-hush and what not." She turned back to the book. "Now where is that blasted thing?" she said irritably.  
***  
The trio spent the rest of the day wandering around the castle and grounds, remembering what it had been liked to be in school there. After lunch they visited Hagrid (lunch providing a good excuse not to eat the sand muffins he offered them.) Throughout their visit he hinted mysterious at what was going to happen tonight, saying "Ye might not be happy 'bout it when ye first hear what it is, but when ye get there, ye'll like it."  
Evening came and after dinner in the Great Hall they went out into the Entrance Hall and found Dumbledore and Hagrid waiting for them there.  
"So, Professor," said Harry brightly, "Where are we going?"  
"To the Forbidden Forrest." replied Dumbledore.  
  
A/N2: Ooh, I did a cliffhanger! Mwhahahaha! Disclaimer part: I don't own most of the characters. That would be J. K. ::bows to the Great J. K.:: I think a few other ppl have done characters named Jade Malfoy but this one's mine. R/R or I'll unleash the Great Rod of Star and Storm on you!  
  



	2. Part 3: Inner Struggles

**The Coming of Change**

By Greencat

A/N1: Ooh bad formatting on parts 1&2 (Sorry peops!) Grrr. The dream part was supposed to be italicized. ::grumbles:: Sorry 'bout that too.

A/N: Ooh I'm getting reviews! So far all five of them are raves! (P.S. to Bubble: Wow. You really think so? Thanks! J 3 of the reviews asked for more. There fore I bring you...

**Part Three: Inner Struggles**

** **

"The Forbidden Forest?" said Ron, paling. "Why?"

"You are to learn Projection. Your instructor lives in the forest, and it would be very inconvenient for her to come to the school." said Dumbledore with a small grin on his face.

"I wonder why?" muttered Ron to Harry as they set off across the grounds.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" said Hermione with an annoying look of superiority.

"Well, Hermione, you've always had a stronger grasp of the obvious than me or Ron, so perhaps you'd enlighten us," said Harry grinning mischievously at her.

"Well how many humans do you know of who live in the Forest?" she said glaring at Harry.

"None, how many do you know?" he replied.

"Exactly. My point is, our instructor is probably not human."

"So what? They're a centaur or something?" said Ron as they entered the silent rows of trees.

"Maybe. But I think they deal more with Divination than Projection." said Hermione.

"Well which creature who lives in the Forest does deal with Projection."

"No." said Hermione, looking slightly miffed that she didn't know an answer. "But I don't think anyone knows all the creatures that live in the Forest." She looked uneasily at the dark, strange shapes of the trees, made even stranger looking by the light of a near-full moon.

"Just as long as it's not Aragog, or some other thing that would like to eat us, I'll be happy." Said Ron, looking slightly nauseated at the possibility of having a teacher who considered them a tasty snack.

"I wonder where we're going?" said Harry.

"I don't know. This wasn't the way we went when we were looking for that dead unicorn," said Hermione. "Do you remember any of this from your little visit with Aragog?"

"Well, let's see: Considering that for most of the journey I was being carried by a giant spider or riding around in a living car, I'd say no, I don't remember all that much." said Ron slightly sardonically.

"Hey, ye three quit yer bickerin'; we're here." said Hagrid.

They had arrived in a small clearing, with small paths leading off from it in all directions. They heard the sound of flowing water on their right and turned to see a pool of water, created by a spring, and a small stream running off into the woods, presumably towards the lake. 

"Welcome, to the Spring of the Unconscious." said a soft voice, like chiming bells, behind them. They turned to see a tall unicorn, whose flanks and horn were so lustrous, that they seemed to glow with a light other than that of the moon. Harry thought it was the most majestic creature he had ever seen.

Dumbledore bowed to the unicorn. "Good evening, your Highness. I've brought you your pupils. These are Harry, Ron, and Hermione." He pointed to each of them in turn.

The unicorn gave them an appraising, but kindly look. "I am called Niamh, Queen of the unicorns."

Harry, uncertain of what to do bowed hesitantly and said, "We're glad to meet you."

The unicorn gave them an amused look, as if she were waiting for something.

"Um, your Highness."

"The pleasure is mine, young one. Indeed, it is an honor to teach he who defeated the Dark Lord, and those who go in his company. But come, court manners are unnecessary if we are to be teacher and pupils."

"So, um," said Ron, "if we aren't going to call you you Highness, what should we call you? Professor Niamh?"

"Simply Niamh will suffice." she replied complacently.

"I believe that this is where we take your leave," said Dumbledore. "Good evening, your Highness. Good evening Harry, Ron and Hermione. Come, Hagrid, I think some of that excellent pudding from desert may still be waiting for us in the Great Hall. We will return at midnight."

"Alrigh' Professor. 'Night you lot. 'Night yer Queenship." replied Hagrid and they walked out of the clearing and back to the castle.

"Now," said Niamh, "Come and look into the Spring and tell me what you see."

"Water?" said Ron hesitantly.

"No," said Harry, "there's something else in there too: Lights." And so there were. There was the normal moonlight in the spring, certainly, but there were other lights, flowing throughout the rippling pool of the Spring. Silver lights, blue lights, and gold lights.

"Yes. Concentrate on the gold lights. They are the key to learning projection."

Harry looked at the gold lights, and tried to block the blue and silver from his mind. The gold lights made him feel warm, like they were little miniature suns. The danced in his eyes and as he watched them he felt a most peculiar rippling sensation go through his body. He lifted up his hand to look at it, but it wasn't really his hand. Well it was his hand, but it was translucent, and he had the feeling that if he tried to touch anything his hand would pass through it. He could see his physical hand resting on his knee just like it had when he was looking into the Spring. He stood up, but his body didn't. _I bet this is what it's like to be a ghost._ He thought. _Weird._

"Well done, young Potter," said Niamh, coming over to him. "How do you feel?"

"Odd. It's like, I can still feel myself sitting down, but I'm not; it's like the feeling's muted."

"Yes, it does take awhile to adjust to not being within your physical body. Ah, it seems your friend, Hermione, has also managed to Project herself."

Hermione walked over to them, looking slightly unsteady. "This is too weird." She said, and she put her hand through the trunk of a nearby tree. "Ooh, incredibly weird. I can't feel the trunk." She shuddered and then grinned pulling her hand out of the trunk.

"Niamh, I have a question." Said Harry cocking his head to one side. "Why haven't I heard of anyone who can Project themselves?"

"Because it is much harder for humans to Project themselves; they have lost the close bond with nature and natural forces necessary to do it easily. Also your Ministry does not allow people to learn how to Project unless it is for a specific reason."

"So we don't have to worry about Voldemort or his minions knowing how to Project?" asked Harry.

"Say You-Know-Who, Harry, please." said Ron, who had just stood up, and walked over to them.

"Yes, and the Dark Lord and his followers are further hindered by the black evil that lurks in their hearts. Evil is contrary to the natural order of things. Certainly, you must have noticed that good triumphs more often than evil?"

"So the fact that You-Know-Who and his people choose to be evil, makes it harder for them to learn to Project?" asked Hermione.

"Actually it makes it nearly impossible." replied Niamh.

"So, um, now that we can get out of our bodies…how do we get back in?" asked Ron timidly.

"Simply look into any pooling of water. You will see there the blue and silver lights. Concentrate on those and you will be transported back to your bodies." The unicorn replied.

"Harry looked down into the water and saw that he could no longer see the gold lights, just the blue and silver. He concentrated on these and felt a pulling sensation, somewhat like the feeling of using a Portkey, but more pleasant. The world seemed to blend and shift, like a watercolor put under a running faucet. When the world solidified again he was kneeling by the spring.

***

"Channel your anger, your hatred. Use it to seek vengeance on those you hate. Use the power of your hatred." (A/N: I know cliché evil-speak. Deal.) hissed the pale man with red eyes.

"I can't get it to obey me, Master." Said Draco, nearly choking on the word 'Master.'

Voldemort made a noise of annoyance. "Then let us end our session for today. Hopefully, when we meet again you will have stronger will. Or else. Now, go!" 

Draco went back to his room, gladly. _Little does he know, the one I want to seek vengeance on is _him_,_ thought Draco bitterly. _Vengeance for encouraging the hatred and wrath of my father. Vengeance for Jade's death._ He shook his head. Even though he knew that Voldemort was not directly responsible for Jade's death, he still blamed him. Wasn't it Voldemort who encouraged the hatred and execution of Muggles, Mudbloods, and Squibs? Wasn't Voldemort the reason he lived all of his life surrounded by stone? The stone walls of Malfoy manner, the stone walls of the Slytherin Common room, the stone hearts of the other boys he was forced to associate with. _They were all either slow-witted louts whose wills could be bent and twisted like wire, or conniving sinister little members of the Future Dictators of Britain club like…me._ He lay back on the bed, thinking over what a waste his short life had already been. He had fooled everyone so completely that he was just like his father. Even the Sorting hat had whispered to him just as it touched his head "Just like your father…Slytherin." He moaned. _Maybe I _am _just like him. Maybe the only one I'm fooling here is myself. _Jade's two-year-old smiling face flashed in his mind. _She wouldn't say I'm just like Father, she would never say that. Oh, but what's the use? She's dead! He killed her! And if I don't what he and Voldemort tell me to do they'll kill me too. _He laughed coldly to himself. _That might not be so bad. No more games, no more lies, of course I'd probably go to Hell, since that's most likely another Malfoy tradition I can't escape from._

_ _

__He sat up on the bed and took the Rod from his bedside table. He had actually been telling Voldemort the truth, he couldn't get the Rod to work. Of course he hadn't been concentrating on working the Rod so much as how much he hated Voldemort pale, snake-like face.

The rod was actually a very beautiful thing. Two feet long, and made from some sort of bluish metal, it had designs carved into it at both ends. He studied them, trying to make out what they were. At last he realized what they were, flames at one end, drops of water at the other._ Nice looking, but not much use to me._

He got up went to the window, opened it and leaned out. The view out his window was of a clear starry night, but the soft breeze, flying into his face carried that sharp smell that means it will rain soon. Malfoy liked that smell and stood breathing it in and looking out at the night sky. He found his favorite constellation, Draco, naturally, and stood there, letting all of his thoughts drift off into the night air.

His right hand suddenly felt very warm. He looked down and saw the engravings of the rod blazing with light. It was like firelight except it did not flicker. _I wonder, _he thought, _could I?_ He raised the Rod and concentrated on that sharp smell of the impending storm.

BOOM! Clouds burst over the castle releasing their rain. Malfoy stood there, listening to the rain, and smiled.

A/N: Ooh both Malfoy and the trio have new abilities…how will they use them? Is Malfoy like his father? Do you want to know the correct way to pronounce Niamh?

I can only answer the last one : NEEV or NEE-uv, your pick. (I prefer NEEV.) For the other two to be answered you'll have to wait for future parts! Review or I shall wield the Rod against Thee! (And _I_ know how to use the fire part too! Mwhahaha!)


	3. Part 4: Black Hair and Black Heart

****

The Coming of Change

By Greencat

A/N: Well since SOMEONE FINALLY REVIEWED! (thank you pinky-chan! ::gives pinky a cookie for being a good reader::) I shall now begin writing…

****

Part 4: Black Hair and Black Heart

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had now spent several weeks at Hogwarts, refining their Projection abilities each night with Niamh. They now could Project themselves to other places and Project themselves from other places by forming images in their mind. They now went into the Forest for another lesson from Niamh, continuing a series of lessons she was giving them on how to make themselves appear more solid or more invisible while Projecting.

They entered the now-familiar clearing and sat down on the mossy rocks by the Spring to await Niamh. Harry stared out into the woods methodically, while Ron and Hermione chatted. He wondered what would happen when they embarked to steal the Rod from Voldemort. Dumbledore had explained what the set-up would be: Snape would meet them in a dungeon in Voldemort's castle, of which he had sent them a photograph so that they would be able to see where they were projecting to, amd if he had found out where the Rod was being held he would show them where it was and they would then Project back to Hogsmede, Apparate into the castle, take the Rod and

Disapparate back. If Snape had not found out where the Rod was hidden, they would search the castle for it, and, once having found it, would Project back to the castle and follow the rest of the other plan. If Voldemort had made it impossible to Apparate into his castle, they would have to Apparate outside the castle, sneak in some how and steal

the Rod back. Although Harry knew that the plan was not fool-proof, he tried as hard as possible to not to think of that.

"Evening, my pupils," chimed Niamh's musical voice, "I have brought you another pupil of mine." Niamh indicated to her right.

Standing beside the unicorn was a girl about Harry's age. She was beautiful and tall, with long, curly black hair and golden brown eyes, but aside from mere physical beauty, her face radiated intelligence and warmth. She smiled, and bobbed her head, saying "I am glad to meet you all." 

Hermione grinned back at her, "So are we. I'm Hermione, and this is Ron, and Harry." Harry thought he saw the girl's eyes flick up to his forehead, but she said nothing to indicate she knew who he was.

"My name is Fae, I have been a pupil of Niamh's for several years now. She instructed me that I was to help you on some sort of mission…" she trailed off in uncertainty.

"She's going to help us get the Rod back?" asked Ron, "Does Dumbledore know about this?"

Niamh gave him an amused look. "Yes, he does. Fae is to go back with you to Hogwarts and you will instruct her as to the nature of your mission. Now, you three, let our lesson begin."

They went over to the pool, and stared down at the golden lights and felt the rippling feeling go through their bodies, they got up and walked over to Niamh and Fae.

"Excellent, now, your abilities to strengthen and weaken your visibility will reach a new level. I want you all to become nothing more than shimmers in the air."

Harry closed his eyes and pictured himself becoming a shimmer. In Projection, the key to success was sheer will of mind. So he pictured his already translucent body fading, growing more and more clear until all he could see of it in his mind's eye was an ever so faint shimmer in the darkened woods. Once he was sure he had the image clearly imposed on his mind he opened his eyes and looked around.

Hermione had almost completely disappeared and Ron was slowly, but steadily getting fainter and fainter. He looked down at himself. It was like the Invisibility Cloak, he had completely disappeared! _No, wait_, he thought, _not completely. If I concentrate really hard I can barely see something, but I can't tell that it's me and it's still pretty hard to see._

"Good job, Harry!" said Fae, smiling in his direction, "You seem to have a talent for Projection." Harry thought that if he had been visible he probably would have been blushing, and so he was very glad he wasn't.

"Hey! I'm invisible!" said Hermione's voice off to his right.

"We can still talk like this?" he asked. He paused, and then said, "Apparently we can."

"Well done, both of you, although Ronald appears to be having some difficulty," said Niamh.

Ron was about halfway to near-invisibility, but he didn't seem to be getting any fainter. He was going red in the face from concentration and frustration and finally just went back to the normal projection state yelling "That's it! I give up! It's too hard!" He flung his arms up and then sat down on the ground scowling.

"Ron…" said Hermione's voice consolingly, and she went back to normal and sat down beside him. "I'm sure you can do it! You just need to try a little harder-"

"Why should I have to try harder? Why do things always come harder for me? Why do I even bother? I'll just either get ignored or named 'the sidekick!' I give up! I quit!" and with that he got up and marched off into the Forest. 

Hermione started to get up and follow him, but Niamh stepped in front of her and said "Let him be alone for a while."

"But he could get hurt! It's dangerous out there!" she protested.

"He's a fully grown, fully trained wizard; he can take care of himself, Hermione." Niamh replied.

Hermione cast one anxious glance back in Ron's direction but went ove and sat down heavily next to Harry. He patted her arm and said "I'm sure Ron'll be alright, Hermione. He just needs to blow off some steam." She gave him a slightly irritated look, but didn't say anything.

"I have taught you all I believe you shall need to know for your journey." Niamh said solemnly. "All I can do for you now is to with you the luck of the unicorns, and the luck of my people is not to be taken lightly. Go, and may you be granted success."

"But Ron-" started Hermione.

"When Ronald returns I shall send him to you. Good-bye Fae."

"Good-bye, Queen Niamh." Fae replied, curtsying.

Harry, Hermione, and Fae walked off out of the woods. They walked in uneasy silence. Everything, the trees, the stars, even the sounds of the Forrest seemed ominous, and Harry and Hermione were both suddenly starting to realize exactly what they had gotten themselves into with this mission. Fae was nervous because she didn't even know what the mission was. So they walked in silence, each thinking their own thoughts, up to the great front doors of Hogwarts.

Harry paused. "It'll probably talk awhile to explain everything, want me to grab a few butterbeers from the kitchen?"

"Oh Harry, don't bother the poor house elves!" said Hermione reproachfully.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Alright, Hermione, you win. No drinks." He said in mockingly despairing tones.

***

"Son, may I have a word with you?" said Lucious Malfoy.

"Yes, Father," replied Draco, inwardly groaning. 'words' with his father were rarely enjoyable events. Even if Lucious wasn't going to yell at him, he'd probably come up with some new plan to use Draco to better either himself or the Malfoy line.

Lucious led his son into a spare room. "Son, you are a man now correct?"

"Yes, Father." Draco said, warily.

"And what does every man need?" asked Lucious.

Draco smirked inwardly and bought back a number of inappropriate responses. "I don't know, what Father?"

"Why, a woman, Draco! You need a wife, a woman whose beauty and poise will make her a fitting addition to the Malfoy clan."

__

Oh, dear God, no! Draco thought to himself, panicked. _Please not an arranged marriage!_ He cleared his throat. "Um, aren't I a little _young_ to be married, Father?"

"Nonsense! I was married at your age! You area very lucky man, Draco. You have just been betrothed to Dreselda Coeurnoire."

__

Oh, no! Not that bitch! "Am I, Father? What a surprise."

"Yes, I thought you'd be pleased. We will dine with the Coeurnoires tonight to discuss the wedding plans." With that Lucious left Draco alone in the room.

Draco proceeded to walk over to the nearest wall and commence banging his head against it. _No, no, no! No Dreselda! Well, she's good-looking and all, but she's so…_her_. Well my life is certainly headed to Hell in a hand-basket._ [A/N: one of my grandma's phrases, ain't it great?] Draco stalked out of the room and went up to his room to try and see if he could get the fire part to work on the Rod. _Maybe if I burn her, she'll call off the marriage,_ he thought amusedly to himself. 

***

"…So that's what were heading to Albania to do." Harry finished up a few hours later."

"Wow," said Fae. "Sounds like a pretty complicated thing to me."

Hermione nodded. "Well we're all in it together…I think," she said looking off towards the doors. Ron still hadn't shown up and it was around 2:00. As she was looking at them, they opened. A tall, red-headed firgure stepped through and shut them. "Ron!" she called excitedly. "You're alright!"

"Yeah," he said, looking slightly embarrassed. "Listen, you guys, I'm sorry about the way I acted. It's just that, well, I'm really nervous about this whole thing, and it's got me kind of high-strung."

"That's alright, Ron. What changed your mind?" said Harry shaking his hand.

He sat down at the table. "Believe it or not, I got some good advice from a centaur. Also, he predicted that 'great changes' were coming, whatever that means."

"We've just finished telling Fae about the plan." Said Hermione, looking much more calm now that Ron was back.

"Great. So, what's next?"

"Well," said Fae hesitantly, "why don't we all get to know each other. I mean, I know you three are best friends and all, but I don't know you and you don't know me."

"Alright," said Ron. "Who wants to go first?"

"I might as well," replied Fae. "Seeing as I'm the new guy. Um, what would you like to know about me?"

"Well, where do you live?" asked Harry.

"In the Forrest," said Fae.

"In the Forrest?" repeated Ron incredulously. "Really?"

Fae shifted in her seat, "Well, I was abandoned there as a baby. Some unicorns found me and it struck them as a novel idea to raise me. I've lived in the Forrest all my life."

"So you don't know anything about where you came from, or who your family was?" asked Harry sympathetically.

"Well, there is something. They found a medallion tucked into my blankets."

"Was there anything on it?" asked Hermione excitedly.

"Yes, I'll show it to you." She pulled out, from under her dress a bronze medallion. On it was engraved:

__

Kradi sohweh taef edlli wreht egot eseh t'noi leht foe erht smrot seht foe nosrat seht foe no'tra ehtani ojllah shca efoowt krad foe nilen othgil foe nileno.

Fae grinned slightly. "Unicorns have a slight tendancy to pronouce _o_ as _a_ and since 'foe' was the word most often used in the song, that was how I got my name. Later I changed the spelling to match their pronunciation."

"Harry, why don't you get those butterbeers after all. It's definitely going to be a long night," said Hermione complacently.

****

The end

A/N2: Another cliffhanger! Sorry! Can't help myself! What's written on the medallion? (I wanna see if anyone can figure that out!) Why was Fae abandoned? What did the centaur mean? (note how cleverly I inserted my stories title into this part!) Will Malfoy roast Dreselda? Will we even meet Dreselda? (Most likely yes) Stay tuned for more answers in part 5!


	4. Part 5: In the House of Voldemort

** **

A/N: ::big grin:: I would like to thank The Great Hermione Fan, Landry Anne, KNA, for their spiffy reviews! You get a cookie! ::gives them a cookie:: Follow me all to…

**Part 5: In the House of Voldemort **

Draco stood in front of the mirror, smoothing his dark green velvet dress robes.He scowled at the mirror, trying to avoid going down to the private dinning hall for dinner. _Dreselda, Dreselda Coeurnoire, I'm going to have to marry Dreselda Coeurnoire. Damn it. He heard his father's heavy tread coming up the stone stairs and quickly finished getting ready._

"Come, son. Your bride-to-be is waiting for you."

Draco shuddered inwardly. "Yes, Father."

"Where is the Rod, Draco?" asked Lucius severely.

"Over on the table, why?"

"You should wear it to dinner. It's mark of your status, and one of the reasons Vincent Coeurnoire was so eager to give his daughter to you."

"Of course, Father." Said Draco, attaching the Rod to his belt. _Blasted thing, more trouble than it's worth._

He and Lucius walked through the stone corridors in silence up to the dark wood doors of the private dinning hall. Through the doors they went, into a dimly lit room where four people were seated around a medium-sized table. One was his mother, two he presumed were Dreselda's parents, and the fourth was,

"Draco, may I present to you Dreselda Coeurnoire." Said his mother rising from the table and leading a young woman with her.

If any woman ever deserved to be referred to as "ice queen" it was she. Her face was set in cold, stern features: proud cheekbones, a thin, delicate nose that was perfect for looking down at people, and ice-blue eyes that seemed to convey that she found everything in the world lacking to her standards. She managed to make a thin, cruel smile and sweep into a perfect curtsy, murmuring, "I am glad to finally meet the man that everyone talks about." in a cool voice.

Draco, trying not to grimace, bowed stiffly, and replied, "I'm sure the pleasure's all mine." _Not!_

He was the introduced to Dreselda's parents, Vincent and Nicea, and the six sat down to eat fancy, unsatisfying food, and make polite conversation. _This is probably what the rest of my life will be like. Fan-bloody-tastic._

__

***

"I'm nervous, oh I'm nervous, why am I so nervous?" mumbled Hermione her voice gradually scaling up in pitch.

"Calm down, you're making me nervous." said Ron with a small grin.

"But what if it doesn't work? What if we get caught?"

"Well," said Harry, "I guess we better hope that Voldemort is a James Bond type of villain, leave the heroes en route to death without making sure that they actually get killed."

Ron and Fae gave him odd looks. "Muggle stuff," he explained.

They were in the Library, engaged in various activities. Ron was absentmindedly inspecting his wand for and chips, scratches, or other flaws. Fae was searching through some of the older-looking books, trying to find any information about the Rod, Hermione alternately helping her and pacing around the room while wringing her hands and mumbling things. Harry was staring up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head, trying to keep his mind clear of thoughts such as, "This will never work," and "we'll never get out of this alive."

Dumbledore entered the room. "It is time. Come, I'll take you to Hogsmede." He then walked out of the room, the four of them following him.

At the great front doors of the castle, they got into slightly larger versions of those musty carriages that used to take them to and from the train station when they were students. Dumbledore looked more serious than Harry had even seen him. The twinkle in his eye was still there, but it looked more stern and purposeful. This only served to make Harry more apprehensive. 

At Hogsmede they went down into the cellar of Honeyduke's, (where their bodies would be kept while they were Projecting.)Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Fae, sat down together in a circle. Closing their eyes, they called up two mental pictures. One was of those warm, golden lights that shone like miniature suns. The other was of the dungeon to which they were headed. As they concentrated, the image of the lights super-imposed itself onto the image of the dungeon, and they felt that familiar rippling sensation, as well as a new sensation: one of being blown in a breeze, like a leaf or a seed. The last thing they heard was Dumbledore's voice wishing them good luck.

It felt darker, colder, and ominous. They opened their eyes and found themselves in the very dungeon that they had imagined. They were not alone.

"About time you got here," muttered their old Potions master, "I've been waiting half the night." He might have been, without question, on their side, but he was still the same, old, sour Snape.

"Well we're here now," said Ron. Looking like he was fighting back a glare.

Snape glanced around at the new arrivals. "Who's she?" he said, pointing an accusing finger at Fae.

"My name, _dear sir, is Fae. I was sent here to help you get the Rod back," she said with a half-annoyed, half-amused look._

"Sent? By whom?"

"By Niamh, Queen of the Unicorns. I assume her word and judgement are trustworthy to you," she added pointedly.

"Yes, they are. Now, I've figured out who is in possession of the Rod."

"Who?" they all asked at once.

"Draco Malfoy."

"Figures," muttered Ron, slamming a fist into his hand.

"Who is Draco Malfoy?" whispered Fae to Harry.

"An evil git we used to go to school with," he replied.

"How was he evil?" she asked.

"He was a magical purist, and his family's full of Dark wizards. Not to mention his dad is one of Voldemort's closest supporters."

"Oh. This is _not_ good," she replied.

"Tell me about it," said Harry.

"As much as I would love to stand here while you two whisper, I think we ought to be looking for that Rod. I suggest we try Draco's room since he is at dinner right now."

"Of course, sir," said Fae with a forced smile. "Is he always like this?" she whispered to Harry

"He's usually worse," he replied with a half-grin.

They found their way to Malfoy's rooms with only a small amount of difficulty in the form of two guards who Snape just walked past, and the other four clarified themselves while following him. However, the Rod was nowhere to be found.

"Great!" said Ron. "Now what?"

Hermione paused, thinking. "Malfoy's probably not going to let the Rod out of his sight. I think we'll need to Project back and then Apparate here. Professor, you can find him and tell him that you need to talk with him about something. We can sneak up behind him, wearing the Invisibility cloak and steal it from him."

Snape scowled. "I can think of at least a hundred things that could go wrong with that plan, but as it's our only hope, we'd better try it."

"Alright," said Fae, "now where's some water?"

"What? What do you need water for?" asked Snape.

"To Project back, of course," she replied.

"Hey there's a pitcher over here-Hey! I can see the lights in it!"

"But of course," said Fae. "Come on, let's gather around it."

They did, and they all saw the points of silver and blue light dancing in the water, except of course for Snape.

"Meet us back in the dungeon, and we should be there fairly soon," said Hermione.

Snape nodded, turned and walked out of the room.

"Ready?" asked Harry. The others nodded. "Let's go."

The focused on the lights and felt the pulling sensation of returning to their bodies, only stronger since they were being pulled over a larger distance. They opened their eyes and found themselves in the cellar of Honeyduke's once more. Hedwig was perched on the stair rail.

"Hedwig! Thank goodness you're here! I need you to send a message to Dumbledore." He found a scrap piece of parchment on the basement floor, and Hermione lent him a quill, always having one in her pocket "just in case." He quickly scribbled

Professor-Malfoy has the Rod, we're Apparating back to Voldemort's castle to try and steal it from him. –Harry

He then tied the note to Hedwig's leg and she flew up the stairs and out of sight.

"Time to Apparate," he said, taking the Invisibility cloak from behind the boxes, where he had hidden it that morning. They got under it, but all four of them couldn't fit without being seen. 

"Damn it! What are we going to do now?" said Ron irritably.

"Well, that's easy," replied Fae. "You three get under the cloak and I'll go visible. Don't look at me like that, Hermione! No one will recognize me as one of the good guys, they'll probably just think I'm a servant or something."

"I still don't think it's a good idea, but at least it's an idea," said Hermione resignedly.

They Apprarted into the same dungeon, just as Snape was walking through the barred door. He looked around for the other three.

"We're here," said Harry from under the invisibility cloak. 

"Follow me, I'll take you to where Draco is dining tonight."

They walked up several flights of stairs, and down several passageways to a large, empty dining room with a porter standing outside. The crumpled napkins, crumbs, and pushed back chairs showed that it had just recently been vacated.

"I'm looking for Draco Malfoy," Snape told the porter. "I was told that he was dining here tonight," he added pointedly.

"Young Master Malfoy has just left. He is currently escorting Miss Coeurnoire back to her rooms."

"And where might Miss Coeurnoire's rooms be?" asked Snape.

"In the East Wing," Snape started to open his mouth but the porter continued, "and no, I can't give you a better answer than that. My domain is here, in the Dining Halls, I never go to the East Wing. Now, I have several rooms to tidy and I must bid you goodnight." With that he trounced into the room and slammed the door in their faces.

"Cheerful bloke ain't he?" said Ron disparagingly.

"Bet he wouldn't talk to me like that if he knew some of the Potions I could give him," muttered Snape bitterly. 

"So," said Harry, "Can you take us to this East Wing?"

"Unfortunately, no. Voldemort is a big fan of keeping people in their places. So I've never been there either, and I would probably attract suspicion if I went."

"So how are we going to get there?" asked Ron.

"Just go east, you'll run into it eventually."

"You call those directions?" said Ron irritably.

"Well it's the best you're going to get, so take it or leave it," Snape replied with a glare in Ron's general direction. "Someone over there will be able to help you find Coeurnoire's rooms."

"This ought to be exciting." Ron muttered. "Well, let's get on with it."

"I'll do that Compass spell," said Harry. "_Point me_. Let's see, east would be, to our left."

"Goodbye, Professor. It was…interesting meeting you," said Fae.

Snape arched an eyebrow. "The same to you."

The four headed to their left and Snape headed to the right. After getting turned around, lost, and just generally confused, they finally reached the East Wing. They found a footman sitting in a chair in the hallway. Fae walked up to him.

"Excuse me, I seem to have gotten lost. Could you direct me to miss Coeurnoire's rooms?"

The porter stared at her for a moment, and Fae was worried that he was going to start raving about how this was the _North-East_ Wing, not the _East_ Wing, and how was he supposed to know his way around the East Wing since he'd never been there; but he replied, "Down that hall, turn left, the door in the right just before the Hallway takes a right-hand turn."

"Thank you," said Fae, heading in that direction, hoping the others were following her.

***

Draco walked throughout the rabbit warren of the East Wing, arm-in-arm with Dreselda. She had a death-grip on it, and he was very tempted to try and chew it off, if for no other reason, to escape her vapid conversation, and constantly hearing phrases such as "Now when we are married," "Our children will," and "Doesn't that sound simply marvelous, my Draco." _I'm _not_ "your Draco." I would rather stand in the middle or Diagon Alley in magenta robes, and make-up, and sing "I Feel Pretty" while doing ballet than _be_ "your Draco." At least I've almost got her to her room. But of course she'll probably invite me in._ he shuddered.

They turned the corner to her hallway and-

"Ow!" cried Dreselda.

"Ow!" cried another girl who ran into her. The girl fell over onto the floor.

"Stupid wench!" cried Dreselda, kicking the girl, "How _dare_ you plow into me, you clumsy servant!" she tried to kick her again, but the girl rolled out of her way, and got to her feet. Draco thought he saw a brief flash of anger pass through the girl's eyes. _And what nice eyes they are. _He thought, looking at her. She was, he thought, an extremely beautiful girl. _And, she doesn't make my body temperature drop just looking at her. Damn it! Why can't _she _be Dreselda?_

_ _

"I'm sorry, Mistress," the girl said, curtsying. "It won't happen again." Draco thought her heard her gasp and saw her eyes fixate on the Rod. She looked at him. "Would you be Draco Malfoy?" she asked

"Of _course_ he Draco Malfoy, you pitiful idiot! He's my little Draco." She said Grabbing he arm and batting her eyelashes at him.

_I think I'm gonna be sick._ "Yes, I'm Draco Malfoy, why?"

"I, uh," she hesitated, and it seemed to Draco like she was doing some fast thinking, "I have a message for you from…your father." She glanced at Dreselda, "He…said it was for your ears only."

"I understand completely. Goodnight, Dreselda." He said, bobbing his head, and quickly hurrying down the hall with the girl. "Thank you," he said once they were down another corridor and out of hearing. "I can't stand her."

"I can't say I blame you," said the girl, angrily, as she glared back down the hallway and rubbed her side where she'd been kicked.

"I'm sorry about that," he said, and, strangely enough, he was. He didn't usually care what happened to the staff, he'd even kicked one or two very stupid ones.

"Um, let's talk in here," she said leading him over to a room whose door was ajar.

"Alright," he replied, following her into the room. She held the door open for a moment after he had entered and them shut it.

A/N2: Yes, that's kind of a odd place to end the chapter, but this thing is already nine pages long, and if I don't end it here I'll have to go on for a few pages more…Looks like Draco has a little crush, will his affections be returned? Will the others steal the Rod back? If so how? (I have _no_ idea…) Stay tuned to learn more about the Rod and Fae.


	5. Part 6: the Paths of Light

A/N: Ooh, sorry it's taken so long for this. See, spring sports have started and I'm a lot busier than before. Add a big case of writer's block into the take, and you can see why I've been so long. Thank you to my sole reviewer, Pinky! (I know more of you read this; I have statistics! C'mon peops, review!) Well, without further ado I bring you… 

**Part 6: The Paths of Light **

"So, what did my father want you to tell me?" drawled Draco. 

The girl gave him a swift piercing look. "You're not a happy person, are you Draco?" 

"What?" sputtered Draco, considerably shocked, taken aback, and irritated. He drew himself up to his full height and glared at her. Beautiful she might have been, but no mere staff member was going to make any assumptions about him. "Servant, I am Draco Malfoy, bearer of the Rod and right-hand man to Voldemort himself! I have fame, riches and power that you cannot even comprehend!" _Although, I'm not that happy_, he thought bitterly to himself. "And you will address me as Lord Malfoy, understood?" 

She glared right back at him. "Well, _my lord_, that wasn't exactly what I meant. Anyone can see you have power and material comfort. Yet in my experience that has, in reality, very little to do with one's happiness. And _you_ will not address me as servant." 

"And why not?" said Draco, feeling very angry, both at her insolence and how she read him so easily. 

"Because I am no servant of yours. Draco Malfoy, you do not have to be what you are now." She edged closer to him. "The Rod you possess can be used for both evil and good. I can see how unhappy you are both with your power and your master-" 

"He is NOT my master!" yelled Draco. "You, whoever you are, get out of my sight before I kill you or have someone else do it for me!" He pointed the Rod at her. 

She grabbed hold of it as well. With a loud _whoosh_, bright white flames the color of starlight leapt up along the rod and rose high into the air. With simultaneous gasps of shock, Draco and Fae both dropped the Rod and leapt back. After they let go, the flames disappeared, and they were left staring at the Rod and at each other. 

"What-? How-? What was that?" stuttered Draco. 

"I don't know," said Fae quietly, still staring fixatedly at the Rod. 

Draco was staring at her. _I've been trying to make the fire part work for two days. I've used every bit_ _of concentration and energy I have, and she just _touches_ it and it works. _"I've changed my mind, servant. You will come with me to see Lord Voldemort." 

"I told you before, I'm not your servant. And I won't go and see Voldemort!" 

"Oh, yes you will," said a voice from the doorway. There stood Lucius Malfoy, wand pointed at Fae. "Well done, Draco. And, in my youth, you would get Cruciatus for your insolence, wench. Now come!" 

With a look of fear but determination, and a glance around the room, Fae walked out the door, followed by the elder and younger Malfoys. She kept her hands clenched tight so that they wouldn't start shaking. 

"We're done for," mouthed Ron at Harry and Hermione. 

"Not yet," Harry mouthed back. The three quickly, but quietly followed Fae and her captors. Unfortunately, once Lucius, Draco, and Fae were out in the hall, Lucius rolled up his sleeve, revealing the Dark Mark. He pressed it and muttered something inaudible, and they all disappeared. 

"All right, _now_ we're done for," said Ron, coming out from under the cloak and punching the wall. 

"Now is not the time for pessimism, Ron. We can still find her!" said Hermione reproachfully. "And please get back under the cloak!" 

"Now is the perfect time for pessimism!" said Ron, flinging his hands into the air. "Yes, so we know who they're taking her to, but how are we supposed to figure out where Voldemort is? And next they're probably going to put her in the dungeons, and we all know what'll happen there! 'This is the _south_-south-west dungeons, the girl you're looking for is in the _west_-south-west dungeons!'" 

"Quiet, you two!" said Harry someone will hear-" 

"What's going on here?" said a thick-looking, but brawny guard, coming around the corner. 

"I-um," stammered Ron. 

"What is your number?" asked the guard menacingly. 

"My number?" repeated Ron. The guard moved towards him threateningly. "Oh, my _number_! It's, uh, 793865012?" 

"Ha! That's my number! Come with me, spy." 

"Damn it!" muttered Ron under his breath. He thought about making a run for it, but as this was a place where people were accustomed to killing, he decided it was in his best interest to cooperate. The guard marched him off down the hall. 

Harry and Hermione shot each other quick looks and then began following them. 

*** 

"Master, I believe we have found the key to success for the Rod," murmured Lucius Malfoy smugly.

They were in a large, echoing room, made of some kind of black stone. Fae shuddered. In addition to the carved stone snakes that adorned the pillars and walls of the room there were also a large quantity of live snakes slithering about. She was kneeling, with her arms forced behind her, in front of a large, ornate, silver and jet   
throne, in the same serpentine motif as the rest of the room. The person on the throne was visible in the shadows due to his pale skin and faintly glowing red eyes.

"Excellent, bring her closer," hissed a voice like chilled blood.

Fae found herself being roughly brought to her feet and then slammed down into a kneeling position again, not more than two feet from those red eyes. 

"Girl, you and Master Malfoy will make me once again the most powerful wizard in the world. Your hands will wield the tool for the destruction of all the filth of that world," he said slowly and terribly, leaning closer to her. His breath was like rotten flesh. 

Feeling very tempted to either throw up or spit in his face, Fae forced herself to look Voldemort right in his snake-like face and stay silent. 

"What, she does not talk?" he asked Lucius with mild amusement. 

Lucius stared icily at Fae. "Oh, she talks, Master. In fact, she was talking rather rudely to my son when I found them." 

"Indeed." He swung his gaze back to Fae. "She doesn't dare even speak to me at all, wise girl. The tongues of women are utterly inferior." 

At this moment the doors of the throne room swung open and in walked the guard and Ron. Fae gave a small gasp. The guard shoved Ron forward until he was kneeling in front of the throne as Fae was. 

"Found him sneaking around the East Wing, Master," mumbled the guard, keeping his eyes on the floor. 

"Did you? I know you, young man, don't I?" sneered Voldemort with a slow, cruel smile. Ron just stared at Voldemort, half defiant, half terrified. "Yes, you're Potter's little friend aren't you?" He leaned back and pressed his fingertips together methodically. "If one of Potter's little stooges is running about, Potter must be close by. Have your people do a thorough search of the castle," he said to the guard. 

"Yes, Master," mumbled the guard, turning for the door. 

"Oh, and have her taken down to the dungeons." He indicated Fae with a sweep of his pale, bony hands. 

"Yes, Master," the guard said, grabbing Fae by the arm and dragging her out of the room. 

"You two are excused. I wish to talk to the spy alone." He eyed Ron like a cat eyes a plump, lame mouse. The two Malfoys left, leaving Ron and Voldemort alone together. 

"So, spy, where is Potter?" asked Voldemort. 

"Why should I tell you? You have your guards searching the castle they'll find him," Ron replied. 

"Well, it does something to pass the time between now and when I either kill you or enslave you," Voldemort replied with an evil smirk. 

"Well, I don't know, so don't bother asking me," he muttered, carefully avoiding looking Voldemort in the eye. 

"Don't you? I believe I'd like to test that," said Voldemort slowly, still giving Ron a cool, predatory stare. 

"With what?" Ron's voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "Imperio, Cruciatus?" 

"No, I think I'll go for a more interesting method." He waved his wand and, in front and slightly to the right of his shoulder, appeared a mirror, framed in the same silver and jet as the throne. It was engraved with strange runes and symbols. "Care to take a look into my mirror, spy?" 

Ron tried to look away, but something about the mirror drew his gaze to it. His eyes grew larger and seemed to be looking inward. 

Voldemort leered and laughed at him. "Oh, but this is interesting. You, the best friend of the great Potter, resent him for his greatness. All your life you were pushed aside by your siblings, finally you got to go to Hogwarts and try and make a name for yourself. And you did. 'Potter's sidekick.'" Voldemort laughed again. "Well, young Ronald, I know a way for you to shine with a light will blind all to their glories." 

"How?" muttered Ron in a hollow, dead voice. His eyes seemed to be clouding over with smoke or mist. He stared into the mirror as if his life depended on it. 

"Join with me. I can bring power, fame and glory beyond the dreams of those inferior followers of Dumbledore. Shall we make a deal?" He grinned and extended his hand towards Ron. 

Ron turned slowly from the mirror, got to his feet, and after staring at the outstretched hand for a long moment, clasped it. 

*** 

Fae sat in a cold, damp cell, leaning against a fungus-covered wall. She stared up out the high, tiny window at the leaden sky outside, thinking to herself._ I wonder if it's ever sunny here? Probably not, evil_ _snake-men are not exactly conducive to light and warmth._ She stared bitterly around at her surroundings. _Well, at least I know I won't die, not yet anyway. As long as I'm able to help work the Rod, I get to live._ _Great, just great._

A voice off to her left cleared its throat. Turning, she saw Draco standing there. After staring each in silence for some seconds she asked disparagingly, "Can I help you?" 

He turned to the guard at her door. "Leave us, I wish to talk to the girl alone." 

"Yes, my lord," mumbled the guard, nodding and hurrying off. 

"Well, what do you want to talk about," she asked, turning so that she was facing him, "the lovely weather we're having?"

"How do you know I'm unhappy? Why do you think that?" 

"I don't think, I know. I grew up around centaurs and other magical creatures. One of the things they taught me to do was how to see inside people, to their true natures. And I can plainly see that you are a depressed, unhappy, bitter person." 

"Any ideas how I can make myself happier?" he asked, sitting down in front of the bars with an odd look on his face. He looked almost as if he expected to be hit by something. 

_He's not used to talking about stuff like this. His father probably taught him that emotions make you weak._ "I'm guessing most of your bitterness is centered towards your family. From what I've heard your family has some long-standing traditions. Usually in those types of families someone is born who was not meant to follow those traditions, and so they suffer a life that could have been better lived." 

"You're very good. It's really mostly centered around Father." 

"Hmm. He wants you to be just like him, but you see what he is and what he's done. You don't want to be anything like him, including indulging in the darker side of yourself. But you have a lot of pride and a temper and are not quite willing to give up the power and prestige that the Dark Arts give you." 

"I don't have a temper! And what's wrong with a little pride?" 

"What do you call that little episode back before your father found us? And, yes, a little pride never hurt anyone. But you, Draco, err on the side of arrogant." 

"I do not!" said Draco pounding his fist onto the floor. 

"'I am Draco Malfoy, I have the Rod, I'm chums with Voldemort, you will address me as His All-Powerful Highness Sir Lord Baron Draco Malfoy!' No, no, you're not arrogant at all." 

"Alright, maybe I am a little arrogant. But that's just how I was raised, to think of myself and my family as better than everyone else." 

"Yes, you've been taught little but evil, arrogance, and hatred all your life. Old habits and old ways of life die hard. What you need is something you deem worth fighting for in order to break free from what you've been taught." She sat back and closed her eyes in thought. "You've probably seen pain as a byproduct of what you've learned, but then again, you were probably taught also to not pay attention to it   
or think of it as a necessary evil…" 

Draco sat up and stared at her. "I think I _do_ have something worth fighting for. Wait here!" He got up. 

"Do I have much choice?" she asked with somber grin. 

"Oh, right, sorry about that. I'll see what I can do about that later, right now there's something I need to show you!" With that he dashed off down the corridor, up a flight of stairs, and out of sight. 

Fae smiled. "I may just have made a break-through with him." 

"Wow, that was weird!" said Harry's voice, soon followed by his body emerging from the cloak. "I never would've thought of Malfoy not wanting to be a rich, snobbish dark wizard." 

"You can't always judge someone by their actions, sometimes there's something else lurking deep within." Fae replied. She shifted uncomfortably. "Do either of you have any ideas how to get me out of here, in case Malfoy gets side-tracked doing whatever he needed to do?" 

"Well let's see," said Hermione, bringing out her wand. "Aloho-" 

"Expelliarmus," grunted a voice from behind them. 

Hermione's wand flew out of her hand, backwards into the outstretched palm of Ron's.

"Ron! What do you do that for?" asked Hermione, exasperated. She took a closer look at him. "Ron, are you ok?" she asked more timidly. 

"Ron stood there, so rigidly it was like he was carved from stone. His mouth was set in a hard thin line, and his eyes, his eyes were clouded and angry, not just with Ron's irritated temper, but with hatred, malice, emotions none of them had seen on him since he found out Scabbers was a human rat. "Ok?" he replied, slowly grinning and softly chuckling. "I'm better thank ok, I'm better than I have been in years. I'm finally going to get what _I_ want, what I _deserve_." 

"Ron what are you talking about?" asked Harry moving closer to him. 

"Ron trained his wand on Harry. "Shut up, you. I've had enough of you stealing the attention from me." He ground his teeth. "Famous Harry Potter, and his faithful side-kick, Unfamous Ron Weasley, well Potter I've found a new person to be side-kick to, one who's going to let me have some of the glory." 

"Ron, not Voldemort? Why?" said Hermione, her voice cracking. She slowly edged towards him. 

"Don't say his name. Ha, soon wizards everywhere will fear to say my name too. As for why, he," he pointed at Harry, "he has everything: Money, fame, everyone loves him. My own family loves him more than me." 

"Now Ron," reproached Hermione, moving up beside him, "you know that isn't true." 

"Oh, but it is. Name one thing I have that he doesn't," he said. 

Hermione stood there silent for a moment looking like she was close to tears. She looked up at him and said, "Me." Then she reached up and kissed him. 

He blinked, and as he did, the cloudiness seemed to drain from his eyes. "Hermione? What-What's happening? I was in the throne room and-" 

"Voldemort used some sort of device to control you and make you hate Harry," said Fae coming over to the bars. 

"What, what did I do?" asked Ron looking more confused and horrified by the minute. 

"Well," said Harry, "I think you were going to kill me, but you mainly just raved on about how I have everything and you have nothing." 

"Harry, I-You know I would never-" began Ron. 

"Yeah, I know. I don't hold you responsible for any of it, just Voldemort." 

"Please, please say You-Know-Who!" pleaded Ron, looking sick to his stomach. 

"What we need to do is figure out how this happened," continued Harry. "Ron. What do you remember last?" 

"Well," said Ron slowly, seemingly trying very hard to remember, "I was alone with…him in that throne room, and he was trying to get me to tell him where you were. I said I didn't know and he said he was going to 'test' that. I though he meant Cruciatus or something but he brought out this mirror and…it was kind of like the mirror of Erised, I saw things I wanted in there, but I also saw some things I knew didn't really want, but this little voice in the back of my head kept telling me I did and that he would give it all to me, and the voice kept getting more persistent, and I started getting really sleepy and…that's all I remember. How did you guys knock me out of it?" 

"Hermione kissed you. Love has powerful effects on dark magic," answered Fae, grinning slightly. Her head swung to the right. "I think I hear someone coming!" she hissed. "Get under the cloak." 

Draco came back into sight, coming down the stairs. "I'm back, sorry it took me so long." 

Fae smiled at him. "That's alright, what did you want to show me?" 

"Not here. That guard'll be back pretty soon. First, you get freed." 

"Thank you. But what about the guard, couldn't you just order him to let me out?" 

He gave her a small grin. "First you lecture me about abusing my power, then you want me to abuse it so I can get you out of that cell. How hypocritical." He dropped the grin. "The real reason is, Voldemort ordered you put in jail; since he's the supreme authority, if I asked to have you released, the guard would go and tell Voldemort, who would most-likely get suspicious. So it'll be much easier for us if we just break you out, though I haven't got any idea how to do it. Regular charms are spelled against and the bars are nearly indestructible." 

"What about using the Rod?" asked Fae.

A/N2: Bwhahahaha! Again, my little chickadess, I leave you hanging. Well, how else am I supposed to draw you back? ::announcer voice:: Has Draco turned good?   
What does he want to show Fae? (No, not THAT, you sicko!) And where exactly IS this story headed anyway? (How should I know, I'm just the author, ask the little being perched on my shoulder who yells things in my ear.)   
l   
l   
l   
l   
l What could this be? I know! A little box where you can write down what you   
l thought of the story! Why don't YOU write something in there? C'mon! Please?   
l Just a sentence or two, that's all! It doesn't even have to be a complete   
V sentence!


	6. Part 7: Of Prophecy and Dreams

A/N: Well, my little chickadees, it's been wonderful writing this story for you

A/N: Well, my little chickadees, it's been wonderful writing this story for you! Unfortunately though, all things must come to an end, including this story. I'd like to thank all of my readers and reviewers (especially Pinky, without your persistent nagging (and I mean that in a good way!) this story would probably still be floundering about at part 4.) Thank you to those who have Beta-read for me, and thank you to my muse for finally whacking me on the head with inspiration for this last part. I hope you've had as much fun reading this as I have writing it! Now before I start sounding any more like an Oscar recipient let's move on to…

Part 7: Of Prophecy and Dream

** **

** **

**"The Rod! Of course!" said Draco. He pulled it out****, then paused. "But I've never been able to get the fire part to work…and I don't think shooting water at you will help to get you out."**

"Just _try, Draco, I'm sure you can do it if you try hard enough."_

With a look of determination on his face, Draco planted his feet firmly onto the dungeon floor, and concentrated on the Rod. _Fire, I need fire to get her out. He put all of his mental strength into it, but he only managed to give himself a headache. He growled. "Work, you stupid thing work!"_

"Alright, maybe you're trying _too hard," Fae said._

Draco shook his head in frustration. "How did you get it to work?"

"Well I didn't really. It just sort of _happened when we both touched it. I'd recommend doing that but it might be a bit hard to control."_

"Why can I do the rain part, and not the fire part?" he grumbled to himself sullenly.

"How did you get the rain power to work?" asked Fae curiously.

"Well I was just looking out my window, and there was that rainstorm smell in the air, I just sort of concentrated on the smell and voila, I had made rain."

"Did it take a lot of effort to do it?"

"Well no, I did it almost without thinking."

Fae raised an eyebrow. "And why should making fire be different?"

"Well, they _are opposites…it made sense to me that if rain were effortless, fire would take lots of effort," replied Draco with an edge of defensiveness._

"Well, just try doing it the same way you did the rain. You've got nothing to lose."

_Hmm, I did the rain by thinking of its smell, do I do fire by thinking of smoke? Smoke was a smell he knew well. He liked to sit in front of the fires in the Slytherin common room and just let his mind wander. The chimneys, having to go from the dungeons to the roof, tended to get partially backed up, and so a smoky scent permeated the common room. He called that smell up from his memory and with it came the colors of the flames, the way they flowed like silk and how they sent waves of warmth through the cold room. He was so intent on the images of the fires that he didn't even notice the warming of the Rod in his hand. __Fire, I need a fire to melt those bars. Someone gasped and he opened his eyes._

One of the bars of the cell had begun to melt and the liquid iron to drip down its side like a candle. Draco stared first at the bar, then at the Rod, then at Fae. "Congratulations," she said, with a small, proud smile on her face**. "You did it."**

"I did**," he said with quiet pride. He pointed the Rod back at the bar. _Melt. A beam of white fire shot out at the bar and began to melt it. When the bar was nearly completely melted he turned to the next and melted it too. "There, that ought to be big enough for you to get through." He helped Fae through, and as she got out, she stumbled on a twisted piece of the bar. Draco caught her, and, blushing slightly, set her on her feet._**

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"It was nothing**," he said, looking down while he tried to get his face back to its normal paleness. "Now, I have something to show you. Although I'd suggest we go to a place with fewer guards first."**

She looked around the room and chewed on her lower lip slightly. "Before we do that," she said hesitantly, "there are some people I think you should meet, or re-meet as the case may be. You can come out now."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione got out from under the cloak, and stood in a line facing Draco and Fae.

"_You-you-what are you doing here?" spluttered Draco; he half raised the Rod._

A small, but strong hand clamped down on his wrist. "Draco, if you're going to work with me, you're going to work with them, no exceptions."

"But they-he-" he started.

"Draco, you want to give up the Dark Arts, do you not? Well that means giving up the preconceived notions and hatreds that go with them. We're going to work together or not at all."

"Wait! Who says I want to work with Malfoy?" asked Ron indignantly. "And what's this about him giving up the Dark Arts**? He seems pretty damn happy with them from what I can see."**

"Have you considered that you aren't seeing everything?" asked Fae. "People aren't always what they appear on the outside, Ron."

"He is!" replied Ron.

"See, they don't want to work together either," said Draco sullenly.

"I'm willing to do it," said Harry quietly.

"Oh shut up Potter, you goody two shoes!" shot back Draco.

Suddenly they heard footsteps from the stair well. "Make yourself presentable, girlie, the Dark Lord asks to receive you," came the guards voice.

"Together," hissed Fae at Draco and Ron.

Draco looked incredibly irritated. "Oh, all right! Come on!" he whispered**, leading them around a corner and into a different section of the dungeon. They made it around a corner and down a corridor before the guard had come in view of the cell.**

"What the-?" he said perplexedly. Realization dawned upon him. "PRISONER ON THE LOOSE! PRISONER ON THE LOOSE!" he yelled running back up the stairs.

"I would rather he hadn't discovered that fact so quickly," muttered Draco under his breath. "Come on, its just a little further," he said more loudly to the others.

"_What's 'just a little further'?" asked Ron._

"Patience, Weasley, patience," said Draco with an amused smile. He led them around a few more twisted of the dungeon and they came to-

"A dead end? What are we doing here?" asked Hermione

"Ah, but is it a dead end?" asked Draco smugly**. He lead them into the cell on the left.**

"Yes," said Ron testily.

"Wrong, Weasley," replied Draco, his grin widening. He took out his wand and tapped twice on a brick, three bricks up from the center of the wall. With a scraping and groaning noise, an archway leading into black nothingness appeared in the wall. "I discovered this secret passage a month or so ago. _Lumos!" And with that, he headed down what appeared to be a stairway._

"_Lumos!" said the others, following him. It was indeed a stairway; an old, molding, dust-ridden, be-cobwebbed, obviously-not-recently-used stairway. They descended in silence, but for the dripping of water from the ceiling. __It must be an underground cavern, thought Harry as the light of his wand caught on some stalactites and stalagmites, which reared from the ceiling and ground like teeth in some enormous shark's mouth. Fae shivered from the cold._

"This way," said Draco quietly, leading them up to what seemed to be a wall of the cave. Draco placed both of his hands on the wall, muttering "_Portus," and seeming to try and wrench the wall in two. Slowly, a tall doorway appeared in the rock._

"You enjoy making doors in walls, don't you Malfoy?" asked Ron.

"Indeed, I do, Weasley. Indeed, I do," he replied with pleasure. "Come." He led them into a room quite different from the damp, dank gloom they had left. It was a large chamber hollowed out of the rock, whether by water or man, it was unsure. There were torches encircling the room, and their flames gave light and even a little warmth. It was much dryer here, and Harry suspected this was because of enchantments on the stone.

Draco motioned at the ground. "Sit." They all sat, and Draco stared into the distance for a time, figuring out how to begin. At last he looked over at Fae. "You said I needed something I was willing to fight for." She nodded. "Well**, this is who I'm fighting for." He took a picture out from his robes and passed it around. It**** was of a young girl, three or four at most, with hair the color of corn silk and eyes of azure blue. "Her name was Jade. She was my younger sister."**

"'Was'?" asked Fae sympathetically.

"Yes, was. She died less than a year after that picture was taken." His voice cracked slightly. "She was a Squib. It's not allowed to be a Malfoy and a Squib," he said with pain and bitterness.

"Oh, Draco…" said Fae, reaching an arm around his shoulders, "I'm so sorry…"

"Well, I suppose it's better that she didn't live and get corrupted, like me." He sighed. "But she's my reason for fighting, and I'll fight to the death for her memory."

"How convenient," said a sinister, vile voice from behind them. "Death is something you'll soon know better, boy."

"Voldemort," hissed Malfoy. They rushed to their feet to find Voldemort and around a hundred of his minions standing behind them.

"Yes, it is I," he said with slow malice. He moved slowly towards Draco. "Boy, why do you deny your destiny? You are a Malfoy, a link in a long chain of faithful obedience to the line of Slytherin; you were destined to wield the Rod at my side. You cannot deny your past, deny the blood that flows in your veins." He was now no more than two yards from them.

"Yes, he can!" said Fae, coming up to stand beside him. She took his hand. "A person is more than their family, and destinies aren't always what they seem."

"Girl, I have had my fill of you. I would have Potter die first, but I'll make an exception in your case." He lifted his wand.

"_Kradsi ohweh taef edlli wreht egot eseh t'noi leht foe erht smrot seht foe nosrat seht foe no'tra ehtani ojllah shca efoowt krad foe nilen othgil foe nileno," she shouted pointing at him. A wind began to rise in the cavern._

"What was that?" asked Draco.

"The words on my medallion. A centaur once told me to recite them in the time of greatest need; I figured that was now. Hey!" The** Rod tore itself from Draco's grasp and began to glow silver-white and spin in the air between the five and Voldemort. A humming noise filled the air, and gradually a ring of people in silver-white robes and cloaks appeared floating in the air around them, chanting the words of the medallion. Draco felt slightly light-headed. All of a sudden, beams of light shot out from the chests of the five and Voldemort, and resolved into the forms of animals. Voldemort's was a snake, a big, black Cobra. Fae's was a unicorn. Harry, Ron, and Hermione's were all lions. And Draco's was-**

"The green serpent, the symbol of the house of Slytherin." Voldemort laughed darkly. "Do you believe me now, boy? Are you willing to accept who you truly are? No? Perhaps I can aid you in your final decision." He waved his wand and in the air between them appeared the jet and sliver mirror.

"No, Draco, don't look!" yelled Fae, but it was too late. His vision was locked on things the others could not see.

Draco felt as though his consciousness had been cleaved in two. One part was being slowly entranced by the mirror; the other was playing back his life.

_Fae, he and Fae were together, she smiled at him, and kissed him, "Join with Voldemort," said a voice in his head, so similar to his own, "and this could be yours." Fae-_

_ _

_He was fifteen, standing by as his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, stole Colin Creevy's camera and began to play keep away with it. He laughed with cold malice. Colin began sobbing when it smashed into a wall. "My-my camera-"_

_ _

_Money, he was rich! Rich beyond the dreams of any man, even his father. He had the best of everything. "This too could be yours," whispered the voice-_

_ _

_Ten years old. He was mercilessly pummeling some house elf while his voice shrieked, "I do not want tap__ water, you stupid slave-"_

_ _

_"He was walking through Knockturn Alley, people were throwing themselves at his feet, murmuring all nature of compliments, worshiping him as if her were a god. "this too-"_

_ _

_"I love you, Draco," said a small child's voice; a young girl hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. He, almost as young as she, hugged her back and whispered, "I love you too, Jade." Jade-_

_ _

_"Don't believe him!" In his dual mind he couldn't tell whether it was Fae or his memory of Jade that spoke, but he was released from the spell. _

"NO! I'll never join you!" A piercing cry rent the air. He looked to his spirit animal and saw gold feathers sprouting on it. With another cry and a burst of golden light, the snakeskin was shed and from it rose a golden bird of prey. It flew into the air and dove straight at the mirror, shattering it into thousands of shards. A ring of white fire sprung up between the chanters and the six. At this point Voldemort's minions wisely started to take to their heels.

"And now," said Draco reaching out his arm. The Rod stopped spinning and glowing and flew into his hand. "This is for Jade." _Burn. A jet of white fire leapt from the Rod and struck Voldemort in the chest. _

As he fell back he gasped, "If I go, I'll take you with me, boy!" The Cobra reared back and attacked the golden bird, pumping its deadly venom into its throat. The unicorn and lions rushed in, dragged the Cobra off the bird, and the unicorn gored it. The walls of the cavern started shaking; the last thing Draco saw were chunks of rock falling from the ceiling.

***

Pain. Dull, throbbing pain. Draco groaned and opened his eyes slowly. He was in a white room, in a bed, and in a chair off to his right was-

"Fae?" he said. "Where-where are we?

"A Wizard's Hospital, a little North of where the castle was."

"Was? The castle! Voldemort! What happened?"

"Hush," she said, coming over and stroking the hair back from his forehead. "You need to rest now."

"But Voldemort**, where is he?"**

"Voldemort is dead. You defeated him. After he died the castle started collapsing, and you fainted. We barely managed to get out in time."

"Were the Death Eaters all trapped?"

"No, I believe that when they realized what had happened, they all Apparated out, and into safety. However they have lost their leader and will now likely pose little threat to the world."

"Well spoken, Fae," said a voice on Draco's left. There were Professor Dumbledore, Harry Ron and Hermione.

"Fae, Professor, why did all of this happen?"

"That's a difficult question, Draco, but maybe Fae can answer it by explaining what was learned after the castle collapsed," said the Professor, nodding to Fae."

"Well after the castle collapsed one of those people in the silver-white robes Apparated beside us. She told us her name was Mathilde and that she was a member of one of the two clans that first created the Rod, the d'Orages and d'Astres. She said that she, in fact, helped create it three thousand years ago. She explained that the Rod's full powers could only be unleashed by descendants from each clan. We later looked through your family tree and discovered that your great-great-great grandfather married Adrianne d'Orage. My medallion was created by my ancestor Thomas d'Astre, because of a prophecy that one day two descendants of the creators of the Rod would defeat a great evil with the protection of those of their blood. The chanters were the creators of the Rod and their first descendants."

"What about the animals?" asked Draco.

"They were a part of the 'full power' of the Rod."

"So the Rod makes fire, water, and, spirit animals?" asked Harry.

"I suppose so," said Fae.

Draco sat on the bed, staring at his lap and puzzling in bewilderment of all of these new developments. "So," he finally said, "what happens now?"

"I'm not sure. Since I know my name now, I think I should go look for any family I may have, but I don't want to leave you all." She gazed around the room.

"I-I don't want you to leave yet either," said Draco blushing slightly.

"I have an idea!" said Dumbledore triumphantly. "Professor Sinistra is about to retire, how are you at Astronomy?"

"I love it!" said Fae happily.

"Why don't you come and teach for me at Hogwarts? You can stay here during the school year and during holidays you can look for family."

"Sounds wonderful!" she turned to Draco. "What are you going to do?"

"I've got a job at the Ministry, but whether or not I'll keep it without my father's bribery is questionable."

Dumbledore cleared his throat, "These two have been through a very trying experience; I think perhaps we should leave them alone to talk."

"Hey! We've been through a trying experience too!" said Ron. 

"Ron," said Hermione exasperatedly. She whispered something to him.

A look of realization glowed in his eyes. "Oh," he said and led the way out of the room.

Fae smiled at Draco. "Well, promise me that, while you're busy sorting you life out, you'll visit me often."

Draco blushed even deeper. "Of course I will. I…like you**, Fae."**

She smiled into her lap. "I like you too**, Draco." She leaned over and kissed him. She blushed. "And, um, now I think you should probably get some rest." And she hurriedly went out of the room.**

Draco leaned back on the pillows his hands behind his head. He smiled up at the ceiling, and thought about how incredible it was that a person could change themselves and their life.

The End

::sob:: Well, that's it, chickadees. The finale of the story. Hey, there had to be one chapter that didn't end in a cliffhanger! Anyone notice that the Cavern scene mirrored Harry's dream sequence in Chapter 1? No? Ah, well it actually wasn't intentional, just a happy coincidence of my muse. Want to know what Fae's medallion said? Read it backwards. You're too lazy to read it backwards? Fine, fine, I'll write it out for you:

_One line of light, one line of dark, two of each shall join at heart. One of the starts one of the storms three of the lion. These will defeat he who is Dark._

Now, since it's el fin and all, would it really be THAT much trouble to review?


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